


Lovefight at the O.K Dumbass

by everyshootingstar



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 13:40:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17643875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everyshootingstar/pseuds/everyshootingstar
Summary: “Disgusting, isn’t it?” Geoff asks one morning as he drops a paperback book onto the breakfast bar beside Ryan; he looks sleep rumpled, tattooed hand wrapped around a white coffee mug that proudly proclaimsWorld’s Most Sorta Decent Dadin jarring bright pink comic sans font.Ryan, for the most part, barely looks up from his phone, bringing his own mug closer to him automatically as Geoff’s hands flail out, “Look at them,” he’s saying, and Ryan knows what he’s waving at, Jeremy sitting on the couch with Gavin draped casually over his lap—“It’s like, you think you know a guy and then you hire the guy and the guy just…” he’s still ranting, trailing off as he waves overdramatically at them.





	Lovefight at the O.K Dumbass

**Author's Note:**

> The long awaited sequel to [Idiot Barn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17392736), and hopefully it lives up to the hype, and uhhh it got a bit serious at the end because I forgot that I write fahc jack as an all seeing all knowing eldritch being who secretes common sense in a way that seeps into the idiotic brains around her. with that being said, i hope the tone change isn't too jarring hhhh 
> 
> It's 5:51am and thus, I'm posting this after reading through and editing it Once so if you see anything amiss let me know pls!!
> 
> the working title ended up being the real title because I thought it was funny ;;; and the working summaries were: 
> 
> "jeremy, ryan and gavin are all morosexual"  
> "ryan the relationship guru gets his own relationship times two...ru" 
> 
> but in the end neither of those fit it's more like "jack is smart and she lays down some true facts about polyamorous relationships" 
> 
> i am on [the tumblr](https://shdowhaus.tumblr.com) and [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/leeoser) too

“Disgusting, isn’t it?” Geoff asks one morning as he drops a paperback book onto the breakfast bar beside Ryan; he looks sleep rumpled, tattooed hand wrapped around a white coffee mug that proudly proclaims _World’s Most Sorta Decent Dad_ in jarring bright pink comic sans font. 

Ryan, for the most part, barely looks up from his phone, bringing his own mug closer to him automatically as Geoff’s hands flail out, “Look at them,” he’s saying, and Ryan knows what he’s waving at, Jeremy sitting on the couch with Gavin draped casually over his lap—“It’s like, you think you know a guy and then you hire the guy and the guy just…” he’s still ranting, trailing off as he waves overdramatically at them.

“So, your date with Jack didn’t go too well I take it?” Ryan asks as he places his phone down, because he likes to think he’s a decent guy, barring the murder thing, but Geoff had made it _perfectly_ clear the day Jeremy and Gavin showed up as a _thing_ that he was happy for them.

Geoff groans loudly and drops his head down onto the breakfast bar with an audible _thunk_ , and across the room, Gavin glances over at them in concern, “It was _terrible_.”

Ryan shrugs a bit helplessly when Gavin raises an eyebrow at him—he reaches out to pat Geoff on the shoulder, “There there,” he says, “I’m sure Jack still thinks you’re uh…”he trails off, trying to find the right word, “ _Decent._ ” He finishes several moments later when his eyes catch on the size twenty-four comic sans print on Geoff’s mug. 

As if thinking he has it under control (he doesn’t), Gavin goes back to watching Jeremy play Spyro and Ryan’s forced to somehow console Geoff, who seems to think he can shove his face _through_ the marble he’s resting on.

“I’m twice divorced,” Geoff says, voice muffled by the counter top, “My dick’s broke, I’m getting _old_ Ryan, and Jack, she’s so damn _lovely_ and I have nothing worthy to offer her.”

Ryan contemplates for a bit, and then, “Yeah, well, she’s seen you naked and still agreed to go on a date with you,” he offers, still patting Geoff’s shoulder. “Did you talk to her after the date?”

Geoff mutters something that suspiciously sounds like a _no_ and finally lifts his head—there’s a red mark on his forehead where he’d hit the counter and Ryan tries not to laugh about it, really, and he doesn’t, but he does reach out and poke it, staring at Geoff as his finger makes contact with the skin.

“Stop it,” Geoff mutters, batting away Ryan’s hand, “She probably thinks I’m terrible. Can you believe she’s allergic to fucking _shellfish_ ,” he says, “I’ve known her for _years_ , Ryan. We go way back and I took her to a fucking seafood place for our first date.”

Ryan winces a little, feels some shred of sympathy for his old boss, “That’s rough,” he says, because he seems to be incapable of saying anything other than the obvious, “To be fair, we don’t eat that much seafood here,” he says. “It’s easy to forget things like that.”

“ _Maybe for you, Rye- **yan**_ ,” Geoff says, loudly, shrilly, voice taking on an edge as his lips twist up in distaste, “I _shouldn’t_ forget stuff like that.”

He makes a face, time to wheel things back then, “Well, no,” he tries again, “Geoff, look, it’s not the end of the world, she didn’t eat any shellfish, right?” he asks, “Like, there are other things at a seafood restaurant that she could eat that won’t interfere with her allergies.”

Geoff doesn’t say anything, and for a moment, Ryan’s worried that he may have taken things too far—after all, Geoff is _far_ more sensitive than he lets on, and the thing with Jack _had_ been something Geoff’d been hoping for for _years_ now.

Geoff drops his head down onto the bar again, groaning quietly, “I tried to kiss her after I’d eaten some.” He says, voice muffled by the marble. “She pushed me away and looked at me like I was a fool. And I am. A _fool_.”

Ryan pats Geoff’s back, “You’re only partially a fool,” he says gently. “An eager fool, if you will.”

Geoff groans again, “Ryan, be quiet.” He mumbles. “Let me wallow.”

===

“Geoff’s a little overdramatic, don’t you think?” Gavin asks after Ryan tells him about the conversation he’d had with him, “He should know by now that Jack’s _nuts_ for him. It’s like. It’s worse than Jeremy and I at this point cause neither of them will actually _do anything_ about it.”

At this point, he feels like the entire crew is overdramatic, and he says as much to Gavin who just snorts and nudges him, “Shut up, you paint a skull over your face and wear a mask.”

“I also have a degree in theater,” Ryan says, “I’m contractually obligated to be overdramatic.” He bats Gavin’s fingers away when he tries to poke at the white paint Ryan’s applying to his face. “Back to the topic at hand here, Geoff and Jack and them getting their heads out of each other’s asses long enough to realize they’ve got them there in the first place.”

Gavin makes a face, “You know, I don’t know how you managed to get Jeremy and I together when you’re like _that_.”

Ryan stops, looks over at Gavin who’s perched on the sink beside him, “Like _how?_ ” he asks, pitching his voice similar to the tone he uses when he’s forced to speak while working.

A hand wave, “Like you’re talking around yourself and tripping over yourself at the same time.”

“Gavin,” Ryan says, voice going overly sweet, “And you know when I say this, I mean it with the utmost love.” He continues, smiling in a way that looks creepy, his face paint only half finished, “You’re a fucking idiot with words, so you shouldn’t criticize someone when _you_ speak like _that_.”

Gavin raises his hands, “Touchy,” he says, swinging his legs. “Now anyway, the important thing here is trying to figure out how to get Geoff and Jack together, yeah?”

“They’re going on dates, at least.” Ryan mumbles, going back to painting careful lines of white across his skin. “Geoff’s the one who’s actually thinking too hard about things. Freaking out, really.”

“Sounds like Geoff,” Gavin says with a contemplative hum. “I’ll talk to Jack. See what she’s got going on, you keep an eye on Geoff and try not to let him self-destruct any more than he already has.”

 Ryan hummed, “Will do,” he says. “Let me know what you find.”

Gavin hops down from the counter and slaps Ryan on the back, making him smear his paint, “Good talk, Haywood.” He says and Ryan huffs quietly.

“Yeah, yeah, send your idiot boyfriend down to the garage and have him pick a car out, we need something fast and inconspicuous.” He says, looking at Gavin in the mirror, “Preferably something that isn’t purple and orange.”

Gavin laughs, a squeaky sound that fills the entire room, “Oh Ryebread, you know that’s impossible.” He teases. “Maybe if you ditch the mask, he’ll consider dropping the orange and purple.”

Ryan purses his lips, “No one has known my identity for years now, I’m not about to start walking around pulling off heists with my face out,” he says gruffly. “Purple and orange are bad colors.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m kind of fond of them,” Gavin says wistfully, “They’re loud, like he is in—”

“Gavin, _please_ ,” Ryan says, looking pained, “I’m begging you. Don’t finish that sentence. Just have Jeremy get us a car that’s quick.”

Gavin, who looks far too pleased with himself, just grins and waves at Ryan, “Will do, Rye-b, he’ll meet you in the garage. Ear pieces’ll be with him so put yours in before you mask up.”

Honestly, Ryan’s just thankful he has a mask to cover his face, the white paint on his skin can only hide so much.

===

Ryan’s been back to his room at the penthouse for only twenty minutes, long enough to wipe off the face paint and change into comfortable jeans and a t-shirt before Geoff barges into the room without knocking.

“Ryan, help me,” he says, voice strained and Ryan raises an eyebrow, urging him to continue, “Ryan, I need restaurants to take Jack too. I need the fanciest, _best_ restaurant in this shithole city that doesn’t sell seafood.”

Of all the things Ryan expected, _restaurant recommendations_ were pretty low on the list, “Geoff,” he says slowly, “I don’t think asking someone who engages in _casual murder_ for a living is the best idea.”

Geoff makes a frustrated noise, “You’re just a regular guy,” he says, waving his hands towards Ryan. “You’re like. You’ve got some weird gunk on your face right now, you’re not a _murderer_ right now, you’re _Ryan_.”

“First,” Ryan says lifting one finger, “It’s a facemask. I wear face paint all day usually. I need to keep my skin from drying out.” He lifts another finger, “Second, I don’t go on dates. I haven’t gone on a date in a _long_ time, so I’m definitely the _worst_ person to ask about restaurants.”

“Ryan please,” Geoff says, sitting down on the bed beside him. “I can’t go to Jack and I asked Lindsay and she said to ask Jack where _she_ wants to go and I really don’t want her to think I’m incapable of planning a date.”

Ryan pokes at the drying mask on his face, “Maybe Lindsay’s got a point. You should ask Jack where she wants to go.” He says, and then sighs when Geoff gets that _look_ on his face that means he’s being stubborn, “Fine, alright.” He drops his hand down to the bed and tips his head back, “There’s a place, no seafood, and it’s in the nicer part of the city. You don’t need a reservation but I do recommend making one otherwise you’ll end up waiting for hours to get in.”

Geoff grins, big and wide and Ryan _almost_ feels better about spilling to location of his guilty pleasure restaurant, _almost_.

“Ryan, you’re the best! The absolute best, the salt of the earth,” he stands up, looking over at Ryan, “I’d kiss you if you didn’t have that shit on your face.”

“Good thing I have it on my face then,” Ryan says, rolling his eyes. “Please, go away now. Call the place, make a reservation, take Jack out for dinner and don’t bother me for the rest of the night.”

Geoff bows mockingly, tipping an imaginary hat, “Yes _sir_ ,” he says snidely, before turning and leaving the room, door closing noisily behind him.

Ryan shakes his head and lays back on the bed, closing his eyes.

===

Geoff, surprisingly, doesn’t corner Ryan the next morning, but instead, it’s Gavin who shows up at Ryan’s nice little suburban home at seven o’clock, which, Ryan was already awake, sure, he’s only half dressed and in the middle of deep cleaning his entire kitchen—he honestly almost ignores the knocking, at first, thinking it’s some door to door salesman (there’s surprisingly a lot in this neighborhood), or some evangelist trying to convert him to the ways of the Lord (also a regular occurrence), but when the knocking doesn’t stop, he grudgingly heads to the door, still half naked (because it’s _too early_ to wear proper clothes and too weird to clean the kitchen nude), ready to startle whoever’s knocking (because a tall, generously built man answering the door in his underwear is enough to startle anyone).

It’s just Gavin though, and Ryan feels a bit under dressed (especially at the way he can _see_ that Gavin’s checking him out), “Gavin,” he says, drawing the other’s attention away from his body, “What can I do for you?”

Gavin recovers quickly, though there _is_ a slight flush on his cheeks (probably just from the heat), “Hey Rye,” he says cheerily. “Invite me in, yeah? I’ve got hot goss and I’ve never seen the inside of your house.”

Ryan sighs but he steps back and lets Gavin enter, glancing around to make sure no one had recognized Gavin, before closing the door behind him and locking it. “You really should wear a disguise,” he says, moving past Gavin and back to the kitchen—and now that the initial embarrassment of being caught partially dressed is gone, he feels less inclined to put clothes on. (And _no_ it has _nothing_ to do with the way Gavin was looking at him.)

“Oh!” Gavin says excitedly, “Are you cooking breakfast?” he asks, “Ryan, you still haven’t cooked enchiladas for us like you said you would.”

“Already ate,” Ryan says casually, going through the leftovers in his fridge, determining what can be throw out, “I’m cleaning,” he continues, “Because I haven’t been here in a few days and I’ve got the day off.” He pulls out a couple cartons of leftover fried rice.

Gavin just stares at Ryan, “So you’re up at seven in the morning, cleaning your refrigerator?” he asks skeptically.

Ryan waves at the kitchen as a whole, “Counter tops, cabinets, stove and oven, dishes, everything,” he says. “Why are you questioning my cleaning regimen again?” he asks. “Didn’t you have some _hot goss_ for me?”

Gavin hops up onto the counter and Ryan mourns quietly at the clean surface, “Right, gossip.” He says, “ _So_ ,” he begins, grinning, “I was at the penthouse when Geoff came home last night,” he kicks his feet, looking entirely too giddy for this early hour, “Jack was with him.”

Ryan waits, doesn’t say anything as he goes about getting rid of the old food and containers, and when Gavin doesn’t elaborate anymore, he turns to look at him, “You do realize that Jack _lives_ at the penthouse, right? I’m pretty sure she’s the only one of us that lives there full time now.”

“Ryan please use your brain,” Gavin says plainly, staring down at Ryan, “I _know_ she lives there, you mong. But she was _with_ Geoff, as in, the two of them came into the penthouse _all over_ each other.”

He makes a noise, utters out an _oh_ and that’s enough for Gavin to keep going, “Yes, _oh_ ,” he mocks, “I was there with Boi last night, cause we’re working on that thing for Trevor and we hear this _giggle_ and then the front door opens and they _tumble_ in and it’s like we don’t even exist and then Geoff’s door slams and we don’t hear anything for the rest of the night.”

“Well,” Ryan says eventually, “I guess my suggestion was enough then,” he ties up the trash bag he’d been using for old food and sets it to the side. “Though, you could have text it to the group chat, saved yourself the trip here.”

Gavin just scoffs at that, “Don’t try to change the subject, where did you tell Geoff to take her? I want the details.”

“A restaurant,” he shrugs, “One of my favorite places. No, I’m not telling you the name, I already have to live with the fact that Geoff knows where it’s at now.”

Gavin pouts, “Oh come on, Ryan.” He says. “You must take girls there all the time, yeah? That’s how you knew it’d be perfect for Geoff to take Jack to, right?”

Ryan looks over at Gavin, who’s sort of leaning forward on the counter, an eager open look on his face, “There’s been no one for a while now, Gavin,” he says plainly. “Just me. I like to treat myself sometimes. And that place just happens to have nice steak.”

(And honestly, he’s not sure if his revelation is that disappointing, or if Gavin thinks he’s still hiding something—other than the name, but Gavin looks at him with a strange look, as if he’s trying to figure him out. And really, Ryan doesn’t like it all that much. Doesn’t like how _naked_ he feels—lack of clothing aside.)

“Hey,” Ryan says before Gavin can say something, “Since you came all the way over here, how about I fix you something for breakfast anyway? In exchange for the ‘hot gos’.”

The look doesn’t quite disappear off Gavin’s face, but it does soften a bit, “Yeah, sure, Ryan. I’d love that.”

(Cooking, he can focus on. Feelings he may or may not have for a friend who is already dating someone? Not something he wants to think about right now.)

===

“He _cooked_ for you?” Jeremy asks incredulously, and Gavin just nods and sighs, light and airy as he drapes himself over Jeremy’s lap. “Tell me he’s at least a decent cook,” he says, poking at Gavin’s sides until he’s squirming.

Gavin bats his hands away, glowers up at Jeremy, “Oh sod off, you _know_ he’s good,” he says, “A right gentleman, even. Didn’t put clothes on though, so he was there, cooking in his _underwear_ the whole time.”

Jeremy winces, “Ooh, dangerous,” he says. “Not so bright in the kitchen, but he’s cute at least.”

“Jeremy, I’m trying to tell you about my morning,” Gavin says, “Now stop interrupting me or I’m going to keep all the Ryan knowledge to myself.”

Jeremy mimes a zipping motion across his mouth, resting his hand on Gavin’s stomach, “Alright, so. We talked for a bit and then he got really flaky when I mentioned a date and asked him if he’d taken girls to the place he told Geoff to take Jack to.” Gavin continues, “Offered to cook me breakfast to shut me up, I guess. But it was so _good_ ,” he says, “We really need to get him to invite us to enchilada night.”

An eyebrow raise that Gavin easily waves off, “ _Anyway_ ,” he says pointedly, “I kept dropping hints, but it’s like he’s refusing to see that I’m _actively flirting with him._ ” He rubs his forehead, “It’s like. I’ve clearly got a thing for idiots, right? I mean there’s _you_. And now him? And honestly? The Ryan thing is recent; he’s _charming_ in his own way, nerd hot and all that.”

_Nerd hot_ , Jeremy mouths back mockingly, and Gavin pokes him in the stomach, “Jeremy, you don’t think he thinks I’m unavailable because I’m dating someone, do you?”

“Gav,” Jeremy says, voice tired, “ _Gavin_ ,” he enunciates slowly, “Gavin, I think that’s _exactly_ what he thinks.” He pats Gavin’s stomach, as if trying to console him, “Relationships between more than two people aren’t exactly common, buddy.”

Gavin makes an affronted noise, “Don’t patronize me. You sound like you want to fight me when you call me _buddy_.”

Jeremy just stares at Gavin, “I do,” he says, voice devoid of emotion completely. “My life goal is to fight you whenever you say something stupid.”

A snort of laughter and Gavin finally sits up, “You’re incorrigible.”

“ _Ooh,_ big words. _Someone’s_ trying to impress Ryan with their widened vocabulary.”

“Oh _please_ , Ryan couldn’t big word himself out of a paper bag.” Gavin says, fully aware of how stupid the statement is, “The point stands. I _need_ that idiot of a man to know that I fully intend to date him.” He studies Jeremy, “And that you fully intend to get to know him better so you can hopefully date him too.”

 Jeremy just sighs, “Uh huh, okay, so hypothetically speaking, if this plan of yours works, how are we going to broach the subject?”

Gavin grins, the sort of grin that fills Jeremy with a sense of dread and _things **are** going to go wrong_.

===

“You want what now?” Geoff asks, looking up from his book, face contorted into something akin to confusion with a bit of _why are you talking to me right now_. 

“The address for the restaurant you took Jack to,” Gavin repeats, slower, “Because Jeremy and I want to celebrate our six months and the restaurant seemed to be a hit with Jack and I trust her word.” He shrugs. “I could just ask Jack if you don’t wanna tell me.”

Geoff blinks slowly, “Okay.” He says and goes back to reading.

===

“Huh? Of course,” Jack says, barely looking up from the map of Los Santos, “I’ll text it to you, hold on,” she glances away long enough to pick her phone up and text Gavin. “There. Hopefully you and Jeremy enjoy.” She pauses, now looking at the map again. “And Ryan, because I assume that’s why you’re asking me for _Ryan’s_ favorite restaurant.”

Gavin splutters, opens his mouth several times and does an all-around good job of looking like a total _idiot_ , “What are you _talking_ about?”

Jack finally looks up at Gavin, a knowing look on her face, “I see everything around here, Gavin,” she says sweetly. “I know about your crush on Ryan and wanting to bring him into your relationship.”

Something similar to fear settles in the pit of his stomach and Gavin swallows, hoping that if he stays still long enough, she’ll forget he’s there.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” She says seriously. “I don’t want you three to get hurt. Especially after all the trouble you and Jeremy went through to even get to where you are now.” She pauses, “Even though that was self-inflicted trouble and you two communicating poorly…” Jack sighs, “Listen to me, Gavin. Act like adults about this. Communicate. I know talking is difficult, and we’ve all gotten so used to these personas we show to the world while we’re out doing our thing, but we’re all these…” she trails off, makes a face.

“I really hate the idea that we’re _damaged people_ , but we all come from shit places, and we all deserve a little niceness in our life. I want you to be sure that this is what you want. A relationship between three people is always going to require open communication, especially when you’re trying to bring a third person in.” She motions Gavin closer, pointing at one of the chairs sitting around the table.

Gavin goes obediently, mostly because he’s worried about what she’d do if he refused, but also because he’s genuinely curious about what she’s going to say.

Jack sits beside Gavin, turning her chair to face him, “Gavin, there was a time, a long time ago, before our crew became what it is today. Geoff and I aren’t a new thing, we’d dated off and on for a while when things were still starting out. And we tried to bring in a third person, but we were shit at communication and had no idea that the third person had all these worries about what a relationship with the two of us would mean.” She looks tired now, older almost, her face drawn up in some emotion Gavin can’t quite name, “And well, things went badly. So bad, it soured Geoff and I’s relationship for a while too. And we’re only now just getting back to a point where we can make amends for that.”

Gavin sort of hunches in on himself and bites his lip, silent as he takes in Jack’s story, and Jack’s patient, waits for him to get his words back, her hand warm and comforting on his knee.

“I…I don’t think Ryan remembers me,” He begins, “I’d uh. Before joining up with Geoff, I used to do a lot of freelance stuff…and I met Ryan at a party. I was sort of buzzed and I remember thinking he was the most attractive man I’d ever seen.” He bites his lip, “But I was also…unsure about where my uh. Affections lie. In the closet, I guess, though the phrase is juvenile. And so, at some point, I remember actually _meeting_ him. Ryan. Not the Vagabond. I don’t know if he was doing it then or if he was just on reconnaissance, but he and I were talking, and he invited me back to his hotel for drinks. And since I was working I didn’t drink _too much_ , but I _know_ he wasn’t drinking, ‘cause I’d been watching him instead of my target the whole night—” Gavin covers his face with his hand and Jack squeezes his knee. “I _knew_ what he was asking. And I. I wasn’t _sure_ , I mean. You’ve seen photos of me when I was younger. I don’t look like that now, really, yeah?” he stops, takes a moment to get himself back on track, “But, I told him…I told him _Maybe not now, mate, but in ten years if we come across each other, I might take up your offer then, yeah?_ And he didn’t seem too upset about it, just laughed, paid for me another drink and left.”

Jack makes a quiet noise, scoots her chair closer so their knees are touching, “Does Ryan know this?” she asks softly.

Gavin shakes his head, screwing his eyes closed, “I had a bit of a crush on Ryan for weeks after that, I think. A dumb stupid little crush that finally fizzled out.” He swallows, “Even when I learned who the Vagabond really was, it didn’t really start up again until recently.” Gavin goes uncharacteristically quiet, a somber look on his face, “I really did fall in love with Jeremy first, you know? Cause even the thing with Ryan—it was a dumb crush. And, I don’t want it to be a crush now. I want it to be something more, because…I’ve had time to get to know him? And he’s a pretty nice bloke for someone who murders for a living.”

Jack reaches across and pulls Gavin into a half hug, slightly uncomfortable because of their positions, but still a hug, “I think you need to tell Jeremy this,” she says, “And then you need to invite Ryan over to your place, or, if Ryan allows it, you and Jeremy go to his and you three need to have a long talk about what you want from each other.”

Gavin sighs and leans forward, hunching even more into himself as he rests his head on Jack’s shoulder.

“If it helps, I do think Ryan likes you,” Jack adds sometime later. “Even when he was trying to help you and Jeremy see the light.”

===

Jeremy pulls Gavin into a hug the second he tells him the story and surprisingly, doesn’t seem mad that he’d kept it from him.

“ _Oh you idiot_ ,” Jeremy mumbles into his hair, “I don’t care _who_ you loved first, as long as you love us both _now_.”

Gavin holds tighter to Jeremy’s stupid purple and orange t-shirt he’d gotten him as a gag gift, makes a sort of pained noise, “I don’t deserve you.” He mumbles, uncharacteristically vulnerable.

Jeremy scoffs at that, “Lies. You deserve every bit of my idiot self,” he says, “And I deserve you. We both deserve each other and most importantly, you deserve Ryan.” He runs his fingers through Gavin’s hair, pressing a kiss to his temple. “And for the record, at some point in the future, it’s entirely possible that I’ll deserve Ryan and he’ll deserve me.” He smiles a little, “But let’s not push that just yet. We’ll focus on getting you two together and then we’ll see how things go from there. Okay?”

Gavin nods slowly, feels Jeremy shift and the soft sound of Jeremy’s phone keyboard as he types something out.

“We’re going over to Ryan’s in twenty minutes,” Jeremy mumbles, pulling back so he can kiss Gavin’s mouth, once and then twice more, “Go wash your face and think about what you’re going to say, alright?”

===

“Jeremy said you wanted to talk,” Ryan says once he’s ushered the two of them inside—he’s wearing pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, his hair pulled up in a bun, and Gavin _aches_ at how soft, how _different_ he looks compared to when he’s working.

Jeremy’s hand is warm on his back, slowly rubbing circles as they sit down on the couch; Ryan across from them in a chair, “I need to tell you something,” he says, voice cracking a little.

Ryan tilts his head, looking adorably confused and concerned all in one, “Okay, Gav, you know I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”

Jeremy’s hand doesn’t stop, even as Gavin looks up at Ryan, opens his mouth to try and speak but fails a few times, “Ryan,” he forces out finally. “About ten years ago, you were on a job. I don’t know what kind of job. But. We met, you and I. At a party. For some bureaucrat. Or something.” He forces himself to keep looking at Ryan though every fiber of his being is telling him to look away. “I saw you across the room, talking to some lady and then sometime later, you found me at a bar. I gave you my shitty fake name and you told me your name was James but you preferred to be called Ryan.” The words feel like molasses on his tongue, but he keeps going, “And then, you invited me up to your hotel room for drinks. And because I was still young and didn’t know what I wanted, I turned you down, I said—”

“ _Maybe not now, but in ten years—_ ” Ryan finishes, looking at Gavin with an awed look, “That was _you_?” he asks, “And you _remembered?_ ”

Gavin licks his lips and nods, “That was me,” he says. “I thought about you for weeks after, kept thinking about what would have happened if I’d taken your offer but—I was still too unsure, too scared.” He crosses his arms against his chest, hunches his shoulders again, defensive. “I needed you to know that, Ryan.”

Ryan’s quiet, stays quiet as he stands and moves over to the couch—and Gavin’s no longer looking at him, instead, his eyes are trained on a bit of paint that’s chipped on the pale green wall of the living room—and sits down beside Gavin, “Gavin,” he says. “Thank you for telling me,” he murmurs gentle, reaching out to rest his hand on Gavin’s arm because.

_Because_. The two of them? They’ve always been touchy. Ever since Gavin had wormed his way under the mysterious Vagabond’s exterior, down to the soft James Ryan Haywood core.

Ryan can feel the way Gavin holds his breathe, the way he exhales shakily when Ryan squeezes. “Gavin, what’s wrong?”

“I want to date you,” Gavin blurts out. “I love Jeremy a lot. More than anything, but I also want to date you. I know its greedy and it’s unfair to Jeremy because I should only love Jeremy but I can’t stop myself from wanting you too.”

“ _Gavin_.” Jeremy mumbles just as Ryan does, and then Gavin’s being enveloped in a warm hug on both sides.

Ryan pulls away first, but doesn’t go too far, keeps his hand on Gavin’s arm, “We need to talk about this,” he says softly, seriously. “I don’t want to do things half-assed and ruin relationships.” He glances up at Jeremy, “I assume you want in on this too.”

Jeremy shrugs, “Let’s worry about Gav first. Get you two’s dynamic settled and then we’ll see how I can fit in.” He’s smiling though, watching Ryan, “I feel like things will tip in both our favor, but I don’t want to count any eggs before they hatch, y’know?”

“It’s…it’s _chickens,_ Jeremy,” Ryan says, blinking slowly. “But, mangled idiom aside, I get what you mean.” He licks his lips, focuses on Gavin again, “So Gavin, what did you have in mind?”

“Go on a date with me,” he blurts out. “I asked Geoff for the restaurant you mentioned but he wouldn’t tell me so I asked Jack and she told me instead and said that I should have fun with Jeremy _and_ you.”

Ryan stares at Gavin for a moment, processing, “Jack knows about this?” he asks. “About your feelings for me?”

Gavin makes a noise in his throat, “That’s not important, Ryan. Will you go out with me? To dinner, I mean. Let me take you out and pay.”

“Dude, you should do it,” Jeremy pitches in, unhelpful, “Gav’s really sweet on dates.”

Ryan looks between the two and then bows his head, a slow smile spreading across his face, “Alright, alright,” he says. “I’ll go on a date with you, Gav.”

Gavin makes a noise in his throat, something happy sounding as he dives forward into Ryan’s arms again. “We’re staying the night.” He mumbles into Ryan’s t-shirt. “And you’re cooking us breakfast in the morning. I told Jeremy about your omelets and he’s extremely jealous.”

Jeremy just snickers, “As long as you cook in your underwear again. I hear that’s a thing you did for Gavin.”

Ryan flushes, flips Jeremy off and mumbles something about locking Jeremy in the basement.

“ _Ooh, that’s kinky_.”

===

“So, let me get this straight,” Geoff says tiredly, looking between Gavin and Jeremy, Ryan’s standing off to the side, looking like he wants to be anywhere but here. “You three are dating?”

Jeremy scratches the back of his head, “Well,” he says slowly. “Gavin and Ryan are dating, full on dating. Gavin and I are full on dating and Ryan and I are working through things so maybe we’ll be dating at some point?” he shrugs, sheepish. “It’s not gonna be a problem, is it, boss?”

Geoff fixes the three of them with one of his serious looks, the same one he’d had when he first announced that they were going to own Los Santos one day, “Are you three happy?”

Gavin looks over at Ryan and then at Jeremy, “Yes,” he says, certain. “We’re talking about this too. Keeping an open channel of communication so no one feels left out. We’ve…we’ve got things going smooth so far, except when Ryan hogs all the blankets and Jeremy tries kicking me out of bed, but things are smooth usually.”

Jeremy nudges him in the side and Ryan watches the two of them with a fond look.

“What about you, Ryan?” Geoff asks, looking over at Ryan, who’s face is half painted, only half dressed in his usual Vagabond outfit. “How do you feel about all of this?”

Ryan steps forward, closer to where Gavin and Jeremy are standing, “Well, I’m happy,” he says, his voice soft. “Happier than I have been in a long time. And, we do sometimes have little bumps, but we’ve been able to smooth them over by just talking.” He smiles, soft and gentle as he looks at the two of them, “I think we’re good, Geoff. The three of us.”

Geoff’s quiet, looking between the three of them, before he stands up and moves to stand in front of Ryan, “Take care of my boys, Vagabond.” He says, holding his hand out. “Don’t make the same mistake I did.”

Ryan straights up, squares his shoulders and shakes Geoff’s hand firmly, “I won’t.”

===

Later that night, when the three of them are curled up in bed, Ryan quietly tells them of a time, years ago, when he fell in love with Jack and Geoff, only to find out that it wasn’t love, just admiration, and how the three of them lacked communication that caused him to distance himself from relationships.

“Are you worried that’ll be us?” Gavin asks, just as quiet and Ryan laughs softly, wraps his arms tighter around Gavin and seeks out one of Jeremy’s hands.

“I have a good feeling about the three of us.”

 


End file.
